Ruler of the Universe
by The-Saiyan-From-Hyrule
Summary: -On hold-
1. Prologue

**Wow, more than a year has passed since I published this... Anyway, I'll be rewriting this story whenever I get around to it, so if you wanna turn back now and save yourself from lousy writing, be my guest. The summary will tell you when the first seven chapters (including this one) have been revised.**

**A couple of translation notes:**

_-san_**: Mr., Mrs, and Ms.  
**_-sama_**: Another form of **_san _**which shows more respect. (An equivalent to Lord or Lady, I think)**

**Why do I bother using Japanese honorifics in an English fic? Character portrayal.**

**Disclaimer: I don't, have ever, and never will own DBZ. :)**

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**-Prologue-**

_"T-those fools... I don't need them. I will destroy Frieza myself!"_ These were the thoughts that ran through Bardock's mind, as he watched Frieza's spaceship draw closer, and closer to the Saiyan home world. The evil tyrant was planning to eliminate the proud fighters that faithfully served him for so many years, Bardock knew it. Because of a cursed gift, he had foreseen his master's treachery.

_"Frieza-sama would never do such a thing!" _His fellow warriors mocked him when he tried to warn them of the coming danger. He was going to face this alone...

Bardock took off from the tower balcony he was on, and set his sights on the big glowing thing in the sky. A multitude of soldiers began to flood out of the spaceship and swarmed the lone Saiyan, as he entered into the darkness of space through Vegeta's blood-red atmosphere.

Bardock tossed them aside like they were nothing, as many more came after him. The soldiers crowded and latched on to him. Still, the Saiyan would not stop. He gathered energy in the palm of his hand, then released it upon them to free himself from their grip.

The ship's main portal opened, with Frieza emerging out of it. He cast a stern look on the ill-fated planet, and the warrior now standing before him. The soldiers that were still clinging to Bardock, released him the moment Frieza appeared.

"Now everything changes!" Bardock said confidentally. "The fate of Planet Vegeta..." A tiny sphere of energy formed on the tip of Frieza's index, as the Saiyan continued to speak. "...my own fate..." Frieza lifted his charging finger. "...Kakarot's fate..." Bardock mustered the last of his power into his right palm for his final attack. "...as well as your fate! This is where it ends!" he cried, as he threw the gathered energy full-force at Frieza.

The death ball grew faster than an expanding water balloon. Frieza only smirked as he watched Bardock's full powered blast zoom directly at him. _"What's that filthy monkey trying to do?" _he thought amusingly.

Frieza calmly bent his finger to begin the fireworks show, the resistor's attack just seconds away from hitting him. He pointed at the planet to direct the path his gathered energy would go. The sphere slowly left Frieza's finger, and was now blocking the way Bardock's attack was moving toward. Just a split second before Bardock's attack would be swallowed up by Frieza's, the death ball suddenly vanished, allowing the smaller to collide and burst in it's target's face.

"Thanks to you, this is what my chair looks like now..." Frieza scowled, while holding one of it's remains in one hand, and rubbing the fresh, red mark on the back of his head with the other. His back was facing Bardock. "Did you come to watch the fireworks with me... King Vegeta?"

"Actually, we were hoping to see a fest of another kind..." the king responded, while reaching his hand toward the band of Saiyans behind him.

"Are you threatening me?" Frieza asked mockingly.

King Vegeta held a clenched fist before him. "I will kill you and rule the universe myself!"

"Don't flatter yourself." Frieza said. "The only reason you managed to bruise my poor head with that tap you call a kick, was because I was foolish enough to let down my guard." Without warning, Frieza swished to the side as another handful of energy ripped past him. He turned back to face Bardock, who had his arm stretched out in front of him. "I haven't forgotten about you." Frieza said to him.

"Bardock!" A Saiyan flew to Bardock's side; one of the ones who were just making fun of him earlier. "What are **you **doing here?" Bardock asked, still ticked about before. "We all came as soon as we got word King Vegeta was planning to attack Frieza with his strongest fighters."

"All?" Bardock said. Just then, multiple explosions began sounding behind them. Everyone looked in the direction of the planet, where thousands of Saiyans were making quick work of Frieza's soldiers. Frieza only scowled some more. "You Saiyans are so repulsive..." he prepared to attack them.

"LET'S GO!" Bardock shouted loud enough for the others to hear him. Every lowest-class Saiyan let out a good battle cry, then charged the enemy together. Frieza dodged one incoming attack, while blocking another. After tossing the next one aside, he crushed the first with the swipe of his tail.

He executed a variety of those combinations, as more and more Saiyans flew at him. King Vegeta waited for the perfect opportunity before jumping in, and landing a few hits himself; which, unfortunately, had no effect.

The higher-classed Saiyans stood back and watched with stupified looks on their faces. "Wait a minute," one of them spoke up. "are we really going to sit back and shudder, while those lowest-class grunts show us up!?" Every elite forgot how scared they were, the moment they realized the lowest-class were 'trying' to act tougher than them.

The highest-class warriors rushed to catch up with the battle, which was steadily moving toward the planet. A fair-sized group of lowest-class fighters stepped aside from the fray, and were discussing their next plan of attack. "Frieza is just too strong, nothing we do is working!"

"Why don't we try ganging up on him?" Bardock suggested.

"I say we do what Bardock says!" one of the other Saiyans agreed. "He may be on to something."

"Of course I am. Are you ready!?"

The Saiyans nodded, then waited for the command. "GO!!" They all took off.

Frieza blocked the flurry of punches that were coming from the elites, then countered every chance he got. King Vegeta retreated for the time being, then looked back at the planet. At the rate they were moving, it wouldn't be long before they were pushed into the atmosphere.

Of all the elites that were fighting them, only two were still going at it. Frieza pushed one of them back, then counter-striked the other, killing him. Frieza didn't even have a chance to catch his breath, before Bardock showed up with the other lowest-class and started wailing on him.

King Vegeta carefully observed the way Frieza barely, but still, struggled to fend off the countless Saiyans that were attacking him at once. _"This is perfect..." _King Vegeta smirked. He looked behind himself again. The planet's atmosphere was within reach, and he could feel the gravity tugging strongly at him. "_It's time... _Hey Frieza! Why don't take this fight to the ground!"

Frieza blasted the fighters who were still trying to attack, adding them to the collection of the hundreds other bodies still floating around in space. "I don't see why not." Frieza replied. "I suppose it's only fair that I give you a better chance, since I **am** going to kill you after all."

Everyone followed King Vegeta and Frieza's lead, and entered the red planet. They landed in the middle of huge desert, which was a pretty good distance away from civilization. "Shall we continue?" Frieza asked. All the Saiyans got into fighting position, the lowest-class attacked first. The elites prepared to strike, until King Vegeta stopped them.

"Wait! Let the weak ones distract him, while wait for the others." The elites nodded in agreement. King Vegeta gathered ki into his palm, then shot it into the sky. Bardock's feet dragged through the hot sand, after getting thrown back. He quickly noticed the Saiyan king and posse were hanging back. _"Why are they just standing there?" _He watched a smile creep up on the king's face. _"He's up to something..."_

Bardock's thoughts were cut short, when a loud explosion echoed in the skies. All attention was drawn up. It wasn't long, before someone noticed the 'star' which was really Frieza's ship, was gone and replaced with another shining sphere; which could be easily be seen in the night sky.

"What is that?" Frieza demanded. "Is this some kind of trick!?" He glared at King Vegeta, who's group, including him, were the only ones not looking up in the sky. "Observe." the king answered, while making a gesture at the other Saiyans.

"It can't be!" Frieza exclaimed. The eyes of the low-class warriors were glowing bright red. "It's an artificial moon!!"

King Vegeta could no longer conceal his emotions, then bursted into an uproar of laughter. "Our plan worked!!" he rejoiced. "I guess the men that snuck aboard your ship must have made it out okay."

Frieza cursed, then started firing multiple beams in an attempt to kill off as many Saiyans as he could, before they all transformed. Frieza was too worried about eliminating the lowest-class Saiyans, to even notice the fully transformed elites that were falling directly overhead. Frieza suddenly found himself trying to withstand the combined weight of the apes that were pinning him down.

He managed to push them all back, before twice as many jumped him; the lowest-class Saiyans had finished their transformation. "H-HOW!?" Frieza shouted. "If they snuck aboard my ship, there was no way they could **all **have gotten passed Zarbon-_san, _or Dodoria-_san_!

"You're absolutely right." King Vegeta responded. "That's why they split up. One half would create a distraction, while the other prepared the ship for destruction. At least I didn't lose a good number of my best fighters for nothing!" King Vegeta fixed his eyes on the artificial moon, the others did the same.

Frieza was beginning to get desperate, as more and more Oozaru were assaulting him. After taking a few poundings, he shot the surrounding apes with more beams, only to have more jump in and start another round of beatings. The higher-classed apes had a few ideas of their own; as some of them picked a side, then held Frieza's arms and legs firmly on the ground.

Each Oozaru took turns delivering painful blows to Frieza's body. With every blow to his gut, his mouth spewed a little more blood than the last. He was becoming too weak to fight back.

"Not so mighty now, are you Frieza?" King Vegeta mocked, then his turn at hitting.

As tiny hint of light began to seep into the horizon, shrieks of immense pain and terror could be heard in the far reaches of the planet, as Frieza was torn apart, limb by limb. Along with the morning sun, arose an outbreak of deafening silence.

The cold rocks were bathed in rays of the dawn, revealing the crimson blood that streaked it. The battlefield was blanketed with the bodies of many warriors; both dead, and asleep. Only a minority had risen at this time.

"King Vegeta," a Saiyan bowed before him. "we managed to rescue the prince, before we destroyed the ship!"

"How nice for you..." King Vegeta said, not really caring whether his son was alive or not.

"What if King Cold found out what we did?" the Saiyan then asked.

King Vegeta didn't even appear to be worried. "He won't find out." he answered. "I will tell him, that a problem with ship caused an unfortunate accident."

"S-sir..."

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Bardock moved to a secluded spot after he finally awoke, and stared into the half-lit sky. "We did it, Kakarot... we killed Frieza... Now you will have a home to return to, after you've completed your mission..." After those words were spoken, he saw another vision of a full-grown Kakarot. But there was something Bardock didn't quite understand...

Why was his son standing face to face with their king?


	2. The Stranger from Space

**Alrighty, here it is... chapter one! I know it took a while, my apologies. Right now, I have nothing standing in the way of writing right now, so I'm hoping to update faster. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own it. Why? Do you?**

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_Many years have passed since Frieza met his demise at the hands of the Saiyans. After that fateful day, King Vegeta and his elites led a revolt against the Cold Empire after nearly two decades of careful planning, and building up their power; the king of Saiyans would finally be king of the universe._

_Kakarot was long forgotten by his own people during these chain of events, but it was only a matter of time after King Cold's defeat, before they remembered him. It was time to bring him home..._

**Chapter One: The Stranger from Space**

A Saiyan man was sleeping heavily inside his space pod, as it traveled through the dark chasm known as outer space. The deafening silence inside the craft was broken by a voice that was coming from the scouter device the man was wearing.

_"Cabesh..." _it said. _"Hey, Cabesh, can you hear me?" _It was a woman's voice.

The man slowly awoke to the sound, but was still out of it.

_"I know you're there, Cabesh. Come on, answer!"_

He opened his eyes a bit then shut them, choosing to ignore the person speaking to him.

_"I'm just gonna annoy you until you say something." _

He relaxed in his seat and tried to get one last nap in before reaching his destination, still ignoring the voice.

_"So, the other day I was standing there doing nothing. And I was just staring at the dirt, it was very brown, and I was thinking really hard about something, even though I don't really remember what. Now I wish I would've-"_

"Shut up!" he raised his voice. "Man, you're so annoying..."

_"That was too easy." _the woman taunted.

"What do you want, Zukin?" he snapped.

_"Well isn't someone cranky? As a matter of fact, I do have a good reason for contacting you, and it wasn't so I could chat with you. Disappointing, I know."_

Cabesh rolled his eyes. "What did you need to tell me?"

_"The two teammates of ours that were hurt on the last mission... One of them has fully recovered, but the others injuries were a little more serious and will take longer to heal. Which means__our next assignment will be delayed, so you're gonna have to come straight home after you find Kakarot."_

"I wish someone would tell me, just how _I _got stuck fetching that reject." Cabesh scowled at the mention of that name. "Why couldn't they send Bardock? It's his spawn..."

_"Well, they did want to get it over with as soon as possible. And Bardock is a little... occupied."_

"I see." Cabesh responded. "I think I see Earth now, gotta go." he pushed the button on his scouter and cut off contact.

The large sphere grew rapidly, as the ship drew closer and closer to it. Cabesh was almost fascinated by the green patches that were spread over seas of blue, with milky swirls twirling delicately above them; he had never seen an atmosphere with so many colors.

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"I sense... a great power... coming... closer...!"

Piccolo was standing all alone in a rocky wasteland, when he suddenly felt a big power approaching him at a great speed. It was a power he had never felt before, and it was making feel very uneasy.

"Is it Son Goku?" he wondered, as he turned his head to the sky, to the spot where he felt the energy coming from.

He spotted what looked like a falling star, and it was falling toward the ground. As the star got bigger, so did the power Piccolo felt. He watched the star turn into something white and metallic, it was the Saiyan spaceship. Piccolo remained frozen in place, and continued to watch.

The pod crashed into Earthly soil, creating a huge crater around it. A few minutes passed by, before the side with the maroon window opened up. The Saiyan, Cabesh, stepped onto the fresh dirt, then jumped out from the crater.

He took a moment to view his surroundings. All he could see for miles, was dust, big boulders, and thin patches of grass. He sneered at the scenery, it was nothing impressive compared to what he saw from space.

His thoughts were soon interrupted, when his scouter started beeping like crazy. Cabesh looked to where the arrows were pointing to. They pointed at one of the tower-shaped rocks, where Piccolo was watching from.

"Battle power... 322..." Cabesh read the number on his scouter. He squinted a little to get a better view of Piccolo, since he did not want to approach him yet. The Saiyan's strength was more than twice his target's, but something confused him... Lower-class babies were never sent to planets with opponents this strong, so where did this guy come from?

Piccolo was nearly trembling, and sweat was oozing down his face. The power coming from this stranger was slightly overwhelming, yet Piccolo did his best to remain calm. He kept his focus on the guy staring back at him, knowing he would eventually come to him.

Sure enough, the alien shifted his position, then leaped toward Piccolo and landed softly in front of him. Their eyes locked on to each other, and their intensive stares caused tensions to rise. Piccolo knew this guy was going to be a problem.

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**Sorry it was so short... But, I've just about finished the next chapter. I will have it up after I'm done rewriting it. So, how was this chapter? Was it good? Were there any mistakes? Is Cabesh's personality believable for Saiyan so far?**

**Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lotta writing to catch up on...**


	3. The End of Piccolo?

**Yes! I finally did it... Why do fight scenes have to be so darn hard!? Well, I hope it turned out okay, writing them isn't exactly my strong point... Oh yeah! I forgot to do this last chapter... Thank you everybody, for the reviews! And a big thanks to everybody who points out my mistakes, and uh... anything else related to that!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z. (Insert sarcastic remark here)**

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**Chapter 2: The End of Piccolo?**

"What business do you have with me?" Piccolo broke the silence.

"None." Cabesh answered. "Unless by some chance, you happen to know Kakarot."

"No such person do I know."

"Too bad..." the Saiyan smirked. "Would've made this mission a lot easier."

Piccolo kept staring at this strange visitor, not even knowing what to think. What a strange man this was, and with such an incredible power he possessed, one that would make even the great Son Goku's hair stand on end. The green warrior's power coursed through his arm in one pulse, as he drew out everything he had into one shot fired from the palm of his hand.

The energy came into contact with the Saiyan. The explosion from the impact stirred up a huge dust cloud, obstructing Piccolo's view of his targets spot. Such a quick and easy victory won, all in a swift and clever move. An evil grin crept up on his face at this amusing thought.

A sudden blow to the face cut these thoughts short. In a split second, Piccolo found himself laying down. He pushed on the ground with his right arm into sitting position, looking toward the dust cloud while gritting his teeth.

Cabesh stood proudly in the open, letting out a few good chuckles. Scrapes and red marks covered the bare parts of his body, and fresh blood flowed from brand new cuts. His scouter remained intact. Despite his injuries, he did not appear to be weakened in any way, and his stamina did not seem to drop. He clenched his fist tightly and felt his Saiyan blood burn; it was time to show this 'Earthling' what he was made of.

Piccolo sprung to his feet, then charged at the Saiyan and unleashed flurry of punches on him. Cabesh tossed his arms around to catch each swipe that came at him, he was able to match Piccolo blow for blow with ease.

Piccolo knew he had to come up with something quick, this guy was stronger than he anticipated. He pulled away from the fray and executed a jump kick, he missed his target when Cabesh vanished into thin air. Piccolo shifted to the side the second he landed, avoiding Cabesh's counter-strike. He threw his fist at the opponent and landed a strike on his cheek, then built up a combo with a good number of blows to the stomach.

Cabesh stumbled backwards from the poundings, but quickly regained his balance then rammed into Piccolo. The impact sent the recipient flying back. He leaned back as far as he could to land on his hands, then pushed himself on to his feet.

"You're a sharp one." Cabesh said. "I have to admit, you're certainly not what I expected"

Piccolo said nothing, and prepared himself for another clash with his foe. Cabesh made the first move, by rushing at the green man and trying to slam him with his fists. Piccolo moved back to avoid the strike, then punched Cabesh in the face. Blood drooled from the corner of the Saiyan's mouth. He turned his head back to Piccolo and grabbed ahold of his wrist, then knelt down and proceeded to pummel him in the stomach after he slammed him into the ground.

Cabesh stood up, then kicked Piccolo into a nearby boulder. "Get up." he snarled. "It would take the thrill out of this fight if you died now."

Piccolo slowly lifted himself from the ground, tightly clutching his stomach. "Do not think it will only take a couple of strikes to bring me down."

"Fine." Cabesh stepped into offensive position. "It's your turn to start."

Piccolo balled his hands up, and fixed his eyes on this powerful enemy_. He's definitely stronger than I anticipated... _he thought. _I need to approach him another way. _

"Well? Are you just going to stand there?" Cabesh was getting impatient.

Piccolo charged confidently at the Saiyan, after taking a deep breath to relax. Cabesh eyed his movement very closely, waiting for the right moment to strike. Piccolo jumped at Cabesh, leaving himself wide open. The Saiyan drove his fist into Piccolo's stomach and held him up in the air. Piccolo gagged a little, then smirked. He threw a punch at the Saiyan's face, just to have it caught in his opponents free hand.

Cabesh received a knee to his jaw, causing him to lose his tight grip. He let Piccolo drop to the ground, then cupped his hands over his chin, while gritting his teeth. Piccolo hit the ground with a thud, panting heavily. The inside of his stomach felt like it was going to rip apart and explode, this guy had really done a number on him. But he wasn't about to give up.

Cabesh glared angrily at Piccolo, his breathing slightly heavier than before. He threw another punch at Piccolo, who blocked it with his arm then tried to jab him with his other hand. Cabesh slapped the incoming hand aside and countered with another punch. Blocked again.

The same pattern continued on, speeding up at the start of each round. Their arms flailed about in a blur and every blow was matched perfectly.

"Not bad." Cabesh said. "You've put up quite a fight. But I've already spent enough time playing around, and I'd rather not get yelled at. So what do you say we finish this?"

Finally ending the breathless clash, their arms clashed together in an X shape. The fighters shoved each other back then made an easy landing on their feet. Charging up the palm of his hand with ki, Cabesh readied for his final attack. The energy gathered into a wobbly, altering shape, with sparks jumping out of it. He threw the blast full-force at Piccolo.

Piccolo dashed to the side in order to avoid it, but the energy switched direction and headed toward him again. "What's this!?" his eyes widened in shock.

"Run if you want, but it won't do you any good." Cabesh said.

The energy speedily zoomed in on Piccolo, he swallowed hard then calmly thought of a strategy. He stood still and allowed the Saiyan's ki to come closer to him. It came closer... and closer... closer...

At just the right time, he spun to the side, very narrowly avoiding contact. The energy crashed into a rock, blowing it to million pieces.

Cabesh raised an eyebrow, then smirked. "My, my, aren't you just full of suprises?" He charged and fired another one.

Piccolo repeated the dodging method with the second one, moving again when a third came at him out of nowhere. Cabesh fired shot number four as a distraction, then moved in to strike right after. He appeared right behind Piccolo, who's defenses were lowered from sidestepping the blast, then hammered him into the ground.

Crimson blood shot up from the green warrior's mouth, and spit out even more, when the Saiyan kicked him up into the air.

Cabesh hopped back, then charged up another blast. He took careful aim, then waited for Piccolo to come back down. Like a rag doll, Piccolo hung limply, waiting to make a crash-landing. Cabesh put everything he had into that one shot, then threw it forcefully at his weakened target, this time, hitting it.

The dirt, only inches away, was the last thing Piccolo saw before the blast made contact with him. It carried him over to a huge rock formation, creating an impact that caused the rocks to break apart and collapse on top of him. The boulders formed a steep, little hill, completely burying him.

Cabesh stood silently for a moment and watched the rocky mound, wanting to be sure his opponent was truly finished. A gentle breeze carried through, kicking up the loose dust. Cabesh closed his eyes, then turned and ascended to the sky.

"Now that I've taken care of that, back to what I came here for..." He pressed the button on his scouter and scanned for any signs of Kakarot's battle power.

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**I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry if it wasn't that good... If you liked it anyway, I would reeeaaally love to know! And don't forget, you can always let me know if I made any mistakes. Until next time!**


	4. Kakarot the Amnesiac

**Wow... I think this the longest chapter I've ever made... And it took me 5 days to write AND post it! (Would've been 4, if I wasn't booted off the computer. 'sweatdrop') I know some of you wanna know what's goin' on with the Saiyans and everything, I WILL get to that! I just need to lay out a few things, and ummm... other things... Enough of that, here's the next chappie! (When did I start using that word?)**

**Disclaimer: I- ...You know the rest...**

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**Chapter 3: Kakarot the Amnesiac**

Cabesh zipped through the sky, while gazing upon the Earth below. He viewed the new scenery, while playing with the button on his scouter. It beeped incessantly, as it scanned for any signs of life. The Saiyan drifted along, carefree and relaxed, not even noticing of his fresh, open wounds. He seemed to have already forgotten the battle he earlier waged in.

Observing the appearance of this strange alien planet, he admired it's lushness and beauty. This was very different from what he normally saw. The device on his face suddenly went crazy. He halted, then fiddled with the button again, while watching the numbers on the screen.

"It's picking up a cluster of battle powers. Most of them, 5..." he turned to his right. "All coming from that way..." Cabesh moved in closer and scanned the area. "5... 5... 5... and another 5... Could these be the inhabitants...?" He kept going.

It wasn't long, before a bunch of skyscrapers and tall, white towers came into view. The Saiyan approached one of the huge buildings, then landed on the roof. He stepped up to the edge of the building, then leaned over to see what was below.

Thousands of townspeople could be seen for miles around. Walking, driving, playing, or just sitting. Cabesh scanned all of them with his scouter. "5... 5... 5... All the same..." He turned around and walked to the opposite side, then scanned the surrounding area over there. "...All 5's... No sign of Kakarot..."

He took off into the skies again, turning back for a moment to see the city in it's entirety. He held out his hand, palm facing the civilization, then shot a ki blast into the center.

A loud explosion rang through the town, accompanied by terrified screams. A giant fire barrier formed and started to expand over every inch of the city, engulfing it in flames. Cabesh stoically watched the destruction take place, thinking of how easy that was; why hasn't Kakarot done it?

The scouter started to beep frantically, taking Cabesh's attention away from the city. He checked the screen to see what it was. "Something with a battle power of 334. That has to be Kakarot, or another one of those green people." He followed the direction indicated on his scouter, picking up his flight speed a little. The entire time, wondering who Piccolo was, if he wasn't an Earthling.

()()()()()()()()()()

"SAY WHAT?! 'Yours' as in... YOURS!?"

Needless to say, Son Goku's friends were shocked to learn, he had a son!

"Yeah." Goku said. "What's wrong with that? Say hi, squirt!"

"H-hello!" the little boy shyly said.

"His name's Son Gohan." Goku told everyone, as they greeted the child.

"Son Gohan!? Your late grandfather's name!?" Master Roshi exclaimed.

"Yup!"

"B-but we had no idea-- I-I mean...You...Son Goku...With a child..." They just couldn't believe it.

Bulma knelt down in front of Gohan. "G-Gohan honey... How old are you?"

"This many!" he answered, while holding up four fingers.

"Even for four, he seems awfully polite to be yours..."

"Well," Goku responded. "Chichi's been teachin' him an' all..."

Bulma continued to look at little Gohan, quickly noticing something. "A...A tail..."

"Yeah!" Goku laughed. "Same as I used to have!"

"Um, Son...?" Bulma stood up, then took a few steps back. "Is he ever sort of...occasionally...odd?"

"Oh...That's right...!" Krillin said.

"Odd?" Goku asked.

Master Roshi walked up to him. "Does he ever...change...during a full moon?"

"Full moon? Nah, we go to bed pretty early at our place. Why?"

"Oh, nothing! Nothing! Never mind!"

"Is he... Uh... Strong like you, too?" Krillin stepped up. "Th-that is, I mean--"

"...I know he's got it in him... But Chichi has a fit if I try to train him!"

"She does? What a waste..."

"I'll say! She says, 'The world's peaceful these days... So who needs martial arts? What the kid needs is study,' she says. Hmph!"

"Haw haw!" Master Roshi laughed. "So 'daddy's li'l girl' has turned inta supermama, has she!?"

"Hey," Bulma said. "I just noticed... Is that a dragonball on Gohan's hat...?"

"Yup! The four-star... Soshinkyu!" Goku answered, while touching the shiny, orange treasure. "It's all I've got left of granpa! I found it an' put it on there. I also found Sanshinkyu and Liushinkyu... Three- and six-star. They're at our place."

"Dragonballs, huh...? Boy, those bring back memories..." Bulma said.

The old friends talked and reminisced about their younger days, laughing and having a good time. A strong power caught Goku off guard.

"What is it, Goku?!" his friends asked. "What's the matter?!"

"Somethin's comin'... Somethin' strong!" he looked up. "And it's comin' this way!"

"What is it? I don't see it..." Krillin said.

A figure came into view as it descended upon the island. The figure took on the form of a man, setting foot on the sandy shore when he came close enough. It was the Saiyan, Cabesh."

He fixed his eyes on Goku, and took a good look at him. "Hmph. So you're Kakarot..." Goku gaved him a puzzled look.

"Wha... What's he talkin' about? And who is he?" Krillin wondered.

"What's the deal?" Cabesh said. "A planet filled with weaklings, and you've done what, nothing?"

Krillin approached him. Look, pal... I don't know who you are, but go home! Scram! Shoo!" he said, then mumbled. "The last thing we need is drunks like _you _hangin' around the place--" Wham! Krillin crashed into the side of the Kame house.

"Krillin!" Goku cried.

"Aren't you gonna answer me, Kakarot?" Cabesh said.

Goku turned and faced him. "I don't know who this 'Kaka' guy is you keep talkin' about, but I'm Son Goku!"

"W-what...? But how?" Cabesh shook his head. "You can't fool me, Kakarot... You look just like Bardock!"

"Who?"

"This isn't funny! I think you better come now... I'm sure King Vegeta would just LOVE to hear your excuse for slacking off, especially after you've had over twenty years to do it!" Cabesh unwrapped his tail from his waist, then whipped the ground to vent a little. If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was when people annoyed him.

"A tail!?" Goku exclaimed. "He has a tail like I used to have!"

"Used to?" Cabesh inquired. "Don't tell me you lost yours..."

Gohan ran to Goku, then grabbed on to him and held on tight. Goku pushed him back, wanting to keep him away from this mean stranger. "Who are you?" he wanted to know.

"I am like you," Cabesh answered. "a Saiyan from Planet Vegeta!"

"Planet what?" Goku said. "I've lived here my entire life. Gohan, get back!" he pushed Gohan again. Bulma ran up and pulled the youngster away.

"You have NO idea what I'm talking about?"

"Isn't that what I just got done saying!?" Goku snapped.

"_How could that...? _Have you ever... hit your head or something?"

"Hit... my head?"

"Yes, did you ever injure your head as a kid!?"

Krillin climbed out of the new monk-shaped hole, then steeped to Goku's side. "Be careful, Goku. This guy is more than human..."

"Well, Kakarot? Aren't you going to say something?"

"...Okay, it's true. I've got a scar, maybe I did hit my head once. But I was too little to remember!"

"Unbelievable." Cabesh muttered.

"Goku," Master Roshi spoke up. "your granpa, Son Gohan, he... He told me once that he found a baby in the woods, a baby with a tail. He was a wild one, too, that baby... One what couldn't be tamed by anyone... That is, until that baby fell down a gorge one day, hit his head, and pretty near died. But he was a tough li'l monkey! He pulled out've it an' ever after, he was the sweetest li'l thing you'd ever hope to see..."

"An' that baby was me!?" Goku said.

"He was. Is."

"Did your tail go with your memory after that accident, Kakarot?" Cabesh asked.

"It was removed for good a while ago."

"Removed?" Cabesh burst into laughter. "Kakarot... You pathetic excuse for a Saiyan! Ha ha hah! I wonder what your father would say about all this?"

"Son's... father...?" Bulma said, still holding Gohan.

"Alright," Goku said. "you've got my attention. Who are you, and what is this Planet Vegeta you mentioned?"

"The name is Cabesh." he answered. "You and I both come from Planet Vegeta, the home of the Saiyan race, a warrior race. We make our living, by traveling around space and conquering any planet we're assigned to. Lowest class babies like you are sent to planets with weak people, like this one. And higher classed warriors are obviously sent to stronger places. With the help of the full moon, you could've had this place cleared in no time."

"What does the full moon have t' do with anything?"

"That's when we are at full power... You know what I mean?"

Visions of the Oozaru haunted the minds of Goku's friends, they understood what the alien spoke of.

Goku questioned him some more. "Why did you come here?"

"I was sent on a mission to come fetch you. I never thanked you for making it so easy." he sarcastically remarked.

"Wait a minnit..." Krillin jumped in. "You just said Goku could've cleared this place in no time."

"Yeah, so? It'd probably only have taken a few months at tops."

"If that's true, why did you wait until now, to come for him?"

"We were tied up with other things... The Cold Empire wouldn't vanquish itself. So, are you gonna need any help finding your space pod?"

"No." Goku answered. "This is my home, and I don't care who you say I am. I am Son Goku. Now get the heck off my planet!"

Cabesh scowled at the Earth Saiyan. "I see how it is..." He cursed under his breath, then hit the button on his scouter. "Is anyone listening to this!?"

_"Hm hm hm... So little Kakarot doesn't wanna come home." _a voice spoke, the same one as before.

"Zukin... What do I do about this!?"

_"Stay calm, for one thing." _she giggled. _"Talk to him again. If he continues to resist, you know what must be done."_

"Kill him."

_"You sure catch on quick."_

"Who's he talkin' to?" Krillin pointed at Cabesh.

"I think he's communicating through that electronic device on his face." Bulma answered.

Cabesh spoke with the woman some more. "Killing him shouldn't be a problem." he looked at Goku. "Although, his battle power is slightly higher than that of the green guy I killed earlier..."

"Green guy..." Krillin said.

"...He..." Bulma followed.

"...Killed!?" Master Roshi finished.

_He couldn't mean... _Goku thought. _Could it be...? Does he mean... Piccolo? _He looked over at Gohan, then turned to Cabesh. "Hey, Cabesh, this green man you say you killed... Did he have pointy ears, and wear clothing similar t' mine?"

"Yes. Why? Is he a friend of yours?"

"Are you sure you killed him?"

"I know for a fact I did."

Goku looked at Gohan again. _But if that's true..._

"All right Zukin," Cabesh turned his attention back to his scouter. "one question: What do I do about this kid I see? He has a Saiyan's tail. My guess, he's probably Kakarot's son."

Everyone started trembling, Bulma hugged Gohan tighter.

"No! Leave him outta this!" Goku yelled.

_"Interesting... You take care of Kakarot, I'll go inquire about the kid. I can't wait to tell the others about this, especially our team leader..."_

"I'm sure he'll get a kick out of this." Cabesh ended the transmission, then faced Goku again. "I'm giving you one more chance. Come back to us, or else."

"I'd rather die!" Goku shouted.

"Fine." Cabesh responded. He rushed up to Goku and elbowed him in the chest, knocking to the ground. He firmly planted his foot over Goku's neck, then started choking him.

"GOKU!" everyone cried in unison. Gohan watched the horrible scene with tears in his eyes.

* * *

**Whew... Yep, that about twice as long, as my chapters normally are. What'd you think? Was it interesting? Did I make any mistakes? Was everyone in character for the most part? **

**L8tr everyone!**


	5. The Fight Starts

**I've got nothing to put here, so nyah!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own it.**

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**Chapter 4: The Fight Starts**

Goku could feel the pressure build up in his face, as the attacker's heel burrowed deeper into his neck. He gasped desperately for air, his lungs felt like they were going to explode.

His friends could only stand by and watch the scene in horror. Gohan was too traumatized to let out more than a few whimpers, accompanied by the river streaming from his sable eyes.

Cabesh stared down on Goku as he pushed down even harder. Expressionless, he watched the soft blue set in on his victim's face. Goku choked and gagged, he could feel his life slowly fading away. He tried to escape, tried to find a way to get free, but couldn't due to his current position. He felt his heart breaking; his four-year old son was watching his own father being ruthlessly tortured and killed.

Bulma hugged Gohan tighter than ever, unwilling to let go. Master Roshi stood firm, his heart pounding like a drum. Krillin's knuckles turned white from clenching them so hard, he couldn't take any more of this.

"Farewell, Kakarot..." Cabesh raised his foot to crush Goku's neck in one stomp.

"GOKUUUUUUU!!"

"WHAT THE...!?"

Thud

Sand glided through the air, as Cabesh dove into it. He faced the spot where he stood seconds ago, and saw Krillin standing beside Goku. Krillin held his hand out to help his downed friend up. Goku grabbed ahold, then gently pulled himself up.

Cabesh stood on his feet, glaring at Krillin. "Y-YOU!" He charged at him and tried to strike.

"Watch it!" Goku shoved Krillin to the side, receiving the attack in his place. He made a faceplant, as Krillin stumbled about after getting pushed.

"Serves you right for getting in the way!" Cabesh blasted Goku in the back, which burned the Kame character away, leaving a bright, red mark on his skin. He yelped in pain, as he felt his flesh slowly melting away.

"G-Goku!" Krillin gritted his teeth. Deciding not to stand by and wait for the enemy to make his next move, he went first instead. Cabesh saw Krillin coming from the corner of his eye, then turned and raised his knee, easily catching him as he flew directly at him.

Cabesh's timing with the counter couldn't have been better, as the impact caused a great deal of pain to Krillin's stomach while forcing a chunk of saliva out of his mouth. The Saiyan grabbed him by the collar, then bashed him in the face, sending him far back.

"Krillin!!" Goku sat up facing them. He jumped to his feet, not wanting to witness his best friend get thrown around again. "Leave them outta this!" he reffered to everyone on the island. "I'm the one you guys are after, they've got nothin' to do with it!"

Cabesh shook his head, then pointed toward Bulma. "That kid... Whether or not you'll admit he's yours, he IS a Saiyan!"

Goku tensed up, sweat bursting through his pores. He gnashed his teeth, at a loss for words.

"And besides," the evil Saiyan continued. "I don't think it would so terrible to give them a head start."

"What?" Goku said.

"Did you think I was simply going to kill you, then leave this place in peace and joyfully skip back home, and that'd be the end of it? Maybe. Only temporarily. No matter what, we will finish the job you never started!"

Everyone trembled at this announcement, yet remained brave and strong. Goku stood tall, ready for a fight. He was going to stop this guy.

Both Saiyans leaped from their spots and engaged in hand to hand combat. Krillin jumped to Goku's side and started throwing punches at the opponent. Cabesh blocked each strike with his hands, then palmed them in the chest, throwing them back. "Both of you, eh?" he said.

"That's right!" Krillin said.

"Are you sure 'bout this, Krillin?" Goku said. "You've already been wished back once before, if anything happens..."

Krillin shook his head. "I-I know... I even wanted to get married... I just don't want you to face him all by yourself when there's somethin' I can do!"

"Same here."

Goku and Krillin saw Master Roshi step up. The Turtle hermit threw down his cane, then stood in fighting position.

"Old timer..." Goku whispered.

Cabesh activated his scouter and checked Krillin and Master Roshi's power again. The numbers rang up, and he scoffed. "Weak, and even weaker. Hah! Give me a break already. If you were to add up your power levels, it wouldn't match up to mine! Kakarot's is 334, the little one is over 200, and the old guy's is over 100! My power is 857. You don't stand a chance!"

"Be careful, guys..." Goku warned. They nodded, then attacked.

Cabesh swung his arms and legs around to block and attack at the same time. Master Roshi's movement was slow, but created the perfect distraction. Krillin stuck close to Roshi, attempting to confuse the opponent by combining the old-timer's hits, with his faster ones.

Goku matched most of his blows with Cabesh's, while the others found their way to the evil Saiyan's face.

Cabesh made a retreat, then charged a quick energy blast just strong enough to throw them back. The trio made a hard landing, but jumped to their feet upon landing, then charged at him right then.

"You don't know when to quit!" Cabesh shouted.

Another brawl started among the four, the same thing happening again. Krillin and Master Roshi serving as distractions, and Goku landing strikes. Cabesh received some fine, purple bruises to accompany the wounds from earlier, a little more than he wanted. He swept his leg across everyone's middle, making sure they wouldn't be able to get up as quickly.

"What's wrong?" Goku taunted, while clutching his stomach lightly. "Having a difficult time?"

"You caught me." Cabesh responded. "And I, you." He raised his palm, then blasted Master Roshi.

"Old timer!!" Goku cried, rushing to his master's side. Krillin followed.

Fortunately, the attack hadn't killed him, but merely knocked him out. But only because it was more of a playful shot. Goku lifted him into his arms, then knelt and laid him beside Bulma and Gohan.

"We'll take care of him, Goku." Bulma said. "Be careful!"

Goku stood, then hurried back, before something happened to Krillin, who already got up.

"You okay?" Goku asked.

Krillin nodded. "Don't worry about me, let's just worry about kicking this guy's butt!"

"Right." Goku said. _Hang in there, old timer..._

* * *

**Sorry, but I have to end it there... I'm having some issues with this at the moment... I will work hard to resolve it, then update ASAP!**


	6. A Powerful Foe

**This chapter is LONG overdue... (I'm sorry!) I've been focusing more on my other work-in-progress, so this story has been on the back burner... But! Only 10 more drabbles to go, and it's complete! So I can focus more time and energy on this one.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ!**

* * *

**Chapter 5: A Powerful Foe**

"Oh that poor old man!" Cabesh sneered. "I hope I didn't hurt him too bad. No matter... he probably would've died of old age soon anyway."

"People like you are just wrong!" Krillin spat.

"That's a terrible thing to say about someone!" Bulma said, still holding Gohan. _"Even if he is a dirty old man..."_

Goku's fists and teeth were clenched tightly, he felt his anger rising. Not only did this guy come close to killing his former master, now he was gonna laugh about it?

"Whatever." Cabesh responded. "Let's continue this fight, shall we?"

Goku nodded slightly, then stood in offensive stance. Krilin did the same and readied himself for the next round. Goku turned his head to him. "Krillin, listen to me..."

He looked to Goku. "What is it, Goku?"

"Be careful. You've already been wished back once with the Dragon Balls. If something were to happen to you..."

"But, Piccolo's dead!" Krillin interrupted. "The Dragon Balls are gone."

"I'll explain later, let's keep fighting!"

Krillin nodded, then charged Cabesh side by side with Goku. They tried the pummeling him again. Cabesh swatted their punches away like flies, with an amused smirk on his face. He countered their fists with his own. His attacks quicker than theirs, he threw in a few extra punches, landing strong blows on them. Staggering, Goku and Krillin were wide open for a damaging hit. Cabesh swung his leg across their chests and knocked them to the ground.

"Gah! He's too strong!" Krillin said, while lifting himself off the ground. "And he has speed to match."

"Yeah, I know." Goku replied, smiling.

Krillin raised an eyebrow. "How can you be smiling after all that? I'm scared to death!"

"I'm scared too, Krillin. But I'm excited, he's the strongest person I've ever faced."

Cabesh laughed softly. "Yep, you're Bardock's son alright."

"This guy knows Son's mom or dad?" Bulma said, not quite sure if 'Bardock' was a name for a guy or girl.

Cabesh continued to speak. "Let's see if you're as strong! C'mon, Kakarot, stop holding back on me. I wanna see what you're really made of."

"Oh darn," Goku said with sarcasm in his voice. "how did you know?"

Cabesh decided to make the first move this time, rushing toward Goku. The Earth Saiyan moved in and exchanged blows with him. As he kept Cabesh busy, Krillin came up from behind and jump-kicked him, knocking him off balance. Goku took the opportunity and nailed him in the gut.

Cabesh clutched his stomach with both hands and gagged, dropping to his knees. Slowly, he stood on his feet and cast an angry glare at them. Goku and Krillin moved back and waited for him to come after them again.

"He's getting angry, Goku..." Krillin said.

"Yeah," Goku replied. "we could use that to our advantage."

Krillin smiled at Goku and nodded, then braced himself for what was to come next.

Fully recovered from the last blow, Cabesh charged at them again. Krillin jumped to the side, while Goku took him on hand to hand. Krillin came from behind like the last time and tried to strike him on the back. Not falling for the same trick twice, Cabesh danced to the side, then hit him with a spin kick.

"Did you really think that'd work twice?"

'Wham!'

Goku struck him while his guard was down. "Did that answer your question?"

Cabesh picked himself up. "You two are smarter than I thought..." He looked at Krillin. "Him... I need to get rid of him!" He charged his energy and shot it at Krillin.

"OUT OF THE WAY!" Goku shouted, as he ran full speed and pushed Krillin aside. The blast shot right past them in between, grazing Goku's right arm in the process. He clutched his arm in pain.

"Ugh, missed..." Cabesh said, then moved toward Krillin again.

"What's he doing?" Goku wondered aloud, then quickly realizing. "Krillin, run! He's trying to kill you! NOW!"

Krillin froze, as he watched the evil Saiyan approach him. _"What am I doing!?" _Krillin thought, feeling stupid for just standing there. He turned the other way and ran, but Cabesh was too fast, as he caught up to him and knocked him flat on his back. The attacker planted his foot firmly on Krillin's chest, then held his palm in front of him and began charging the final blow.

"Krillin!" Goku grabbed ahold of Cabesh's arm and tried to wrestle him away. Cabesh used his free hand to grab Goku's left. The two fought each other back, struggling as hard as they could. Goku's right arm acted up from his injury, sending a sharp pain shooting through it. Goku grasped his arm, allowing Cabesh enough time to move in closer and hit him.

Krillin scrambled to his feet, then made a run for it. But Cabesh turned around and fired straight at him. The blast met with Krillin's backside and exploded on impact, bringing him down. Cabesh rushed in and started to beat him repeatedly, hoping to finish him.

"No!" Goku cried. His first instinct being to save his friend, he charged at Cabesh recklessly, just to receive a blow to the chest from Cabesh's foot.

"Down boy." Cabesh taunted.

"S-stop it..." Goku begged. "He can't fight anymore... I'm the one you're after! Fight me!"

"Don't worry, you're next. Be patient, Kakarot... Just let me finish the little bald guy first."

Bulma and Goku watched in horror, as Cabesh pummeled Krillin some more. Gohan sobbed heavily into Bulma's shirt, as she kept his innocent eyes shielded from the brutalities.

Goku clenched his fist tight enough to make it bleed. He stood back and watched his own best friend getting beat to death, and there was nothing he could do... Or what about his old master? Possibly fighting for his life. His thoughts turned to his four year old child and how this was all affecting him, and how this could scar him for life.

Goku had enough of this. Knowing this was his last shot, he cupped both hands together and brought them to his side. "Ka-Me"

Krillin gagged and choked out blood, as Cabesh dealt blow after damaging blow, bringing him much closer to death.

"Ha-Me..."

Master Roshi gasped for air, as a shaking Bulma held tightly in her arms, a terrified and teary-eyed Gohan.

"Now, for the finishing touch..." Cabesh said to himself.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

'Beepbeepbeep'

"Huh? What's THAT...!?"

'BOOOOOOOOOM'

Cabesh tried to dodge the incoming blast as warned by his scouter, but he and Goku were at too close of a range. The attack hit him head on and completely engulfed him. It stripped away chunks of his armor, tore deep into his wounds while creating new ones in the process, and completely blew away his scouter.

Bulma turned both her and Gohan's heads away to keep the flashing lights from blinding them, while Krillin turned his head up to see what was going on.

Cabesh roared in pain, his blood splashing about everywhere, even landing atop Krillin's head and face.

--

"King Vegeta, I have something to report." a Saiyan Elite bowed before him.

"What is it?" the king replied.

"It seems a lowest-class fighter has turned against us."

"Kill him." King Vegeta didn't even hesitate to answer.

"Yes, sir." the elite said. "But that wasn't all. I've also received word that the traitor has a half-Earthling son. What should we have done with him?"

"Kill him too. I have no use for half-breeds. Now begone."

"Yes, sir." The elite turned around and left to help carry out the king's orders.

"What would make those worthless low-class trash think for even a second, that I would want something done with some half-bred whelp, other than have him killed?"

"I am not sure, King Vegeta..." the Saiyan beside him said. "Maybe it's because they've never before dealt with something like this?"

"Maybe so, Zorn. It doesn't matter... They're of no trouble to me."

--

"So, little Kakarot has turned against us... Is that right, Zukin?" said a man sitting beside the lady Saiyan, Zukin. The two shared a table in the lounging area where most Saiyans went to relax.

The woman smiled. "I know, isn't it so amusing?"

The man shook his head, before taking a drink from his cup. "Sadistic... How could you laugh about this? That poor kid is in for a world of hurt. No one dare turns against King Vegeta."

"Oh come on, you find it just as interesting as I do. Just admit it, Sirantoro."

Sirantoro looked around at everyone in the room, all chatting about the same thing as them . "I think we all do. But I think my favorite part, is that he has an Earthling child."

"Yeah, I can't wait to tell Bardock about this!" Zukin said with a huge evil smirk.

"Speaking of Bardock," Sirantoro said. "when do you think he'll be recovered? He's been in the recovery tank since Cabesh left for Earth."

"Not sure." Zukin replied. "He's been acting really strange lately..."

"And distracted, if I might add," he said. "I don't think he's been hurt this bad, since the last mission with his previous team."

"The ones that creep, Dodoria slaughtered?"

Sirantoro nodded, taking another swig of his beverage.

Zukin rested her face against her right hand. "I wonder if those dreams of his have anything to do with it...?"

"The same ones he believes are visions from the future?"

"Yeah, those ones! I wonder if he saw something bad? _Gasp _What if something terrible is gonna happen to me!? Poor Bardock! He must be worried sick about his favorite teammate!"

Sirantoro squinted his eyes as she rambled. "Yyyeah... That's it... You don't really think those visions are real, do you?" he asked, his tone indicating she would be nuts for thinking so.

"He was right about Frieza betraying us." she said.

"How do you know he didn't find out about it another way, and just doesn't want to tell us? You know how secretive he is..."

"Hmm..."

--

Goku and Bulma intently watched Cabesh being enveloped in Goku's Kamehameha. Krillin barely lifted his head to catch a glimpse; it was over...

That's what they thought.

They gawked in horror, as Cabesh wobbled to his feet, then stood strong for someone who just got ripped apart. His armor was torn, he had new wounds, blood flowing from the other ones, and his scouter was blown. He stared Goku in the eye with the angriest scowl.

"No way..." Goku said in disbelief. "How could he...?"

Krillin slowly pulled himself away from the livid Saiyan, mustering whatever strength he had left to move, while Bulma and Gohan trembled in fear, their hearts racing.

Cabesh took slow steps toward Goku. "Kakarot, you RAT!" he snarled. Though it was his own fault for playing around.

Goku had quite a fight on his hands, and it wasn't even close to being over. He slid the gi's short sleeves from his shoulders, then removed the blue shirt underneath, followed by his boots and wrist guards. Each one landed with a heavy thud, after being tossed aside.

"There, I feel much lighter now..." he spoke quietly.

"T-that's right..." Krillin uttered. "The weighted clothing..."

"No more fooling around..." Cabesh said. "I will kill you!"

"Let's finish this." Goku agreed.

"Be careful, Son!" Bulma hollered out to him.

"Don't let 'im whip you!" Krillin shouted weakly.

The next round began with both standing warriors engaging in more hand to hand combat, exchanging and matching blows. After taking off the weighted clothing, Goku's power rose by about a 1/3. Cabesh's was cut almost in half, due to his injuries. Their strength was more evenly matched now.

Goku swiftly alternated between throwing punches at his opponent, and catching them with his arms. The battle flowed along at an incredible speed, their movements but a blur to normal eyes.

Despite both fighter's powers being closer together, Cabesh proved he was still faster and stronger as he delivered a blow heavy enough to significantly weaken Goku. The said person landed on his hands then did a back spring, pushing forward with his feet the instant he landed. Cabesh stood firmly in defensive stance as he waited for him to get closer. Then timing it carefully, he threw his left fist full force.

Goku moved aside sharply, avoiding the oncoming attack, Cabesh quickly attacked with a roundhouse. Goku vanished then appeared behind him to attack, his opponent moved behind and pounded him. Goku picked himself up for the umpteenth time, using the back of his hand to wipe the blood that dribbled down his chin.

"Even with his power weaker, he's still too strong!" Goku said. "He's still fast too..." This battle would take more than just strength, he knew it the entire time, but even more so now. He needed to think fast, not knowing how much more he could hold out against the enemy.

"Why don't you just give up and die already?" Cabesh had become worn and impatient.

Without saying a word, Goku tensed up and charged him again. His opponent charged back and they both exchanged a new set of blows, dozens in only a second. They moved about the island, kicking up sand wherever they went. Bulma and Krillin took cover with Gohan and the unconscious Turtle-Hermit beside the house, which, strangely enough, the fighters never came near as opposed to the rest of the small land.

The Saiyans alternated between bouncing around the place and clashing in to each other, and engaging in more hand to hand combat. Cabesh still had the slight advantage, but Goku showed no sign of letting up. He charged at him again, beginning the next round of fighting.

_"How do I get him to lower his guard...?" _Goku thought, as he fought Cabesh back. _"He's being extra careful now..."_

Cabesh attacked with a roundhouse. Goku stared wide-eyed, the timing caught him off-guard. The kicked sliced right through him, leaving a distorted image.

"What's this?" Cabesh looked a bit surprised.

"An Afterimage Strike!" Krillin said.

Goku appeared behind Cabesh, then slammed him in the back with his elbow, forcing a chunk of saliva and traces of blood from the evil Saiyan's mouth.

"K-Kakarot!"

Goku didn't bother to stop after the last hit. He moved right on in for the next strike. Cabesh jumped aside and dodged the incoming hit, taking the opportunity to strike his opponent right after he missed. Goku countered with another Afterimage strike, repeating what he did last time. Cabesh vanished then reappeared behind Goku, turning the attack against him. Keeping a calm and serious face, Goku used a double Afterimage then jumped-kicked from behind. Cabesh used another roundhouse to make a quick turn and strike Goku in the process. The attacks from both sides landed at the same time, throwing both Saiyans back and giving them a mouthful of sand.

The two slowly stood to their feet, struggling to do so. Cabesh spit the fine grains from his mouth. Short of breath, he began to pant slightly, sweat pouring from his head and face.

Goku was in even worse shape, the last blow had taken more of a toll on him. His face was almost blue from the lack of oxygen. As hard as he tried, he couldn't keep this up for much longer.

"Son!" Bulma cried.

"Goku..." Krillin whispered, his voice tainted with hopelessness.

Tears spilled down Gohan's cheeks, as he started to whimper. "F-father...!" he choked. His little body tensed up as his anger began to rise.

--

Recovering from hideous injuries, a Saiyan warrior rested silently in a fluid-filled tank. His mind was haunted by visions of the future, and dreams of his youngest child, the son sent to a far away planet as an infant.

_Kakarot._

_Wh-Who are you?_

But lately, nightmares began to fill his head, playing themselves over and over again like a record.

_Father... You knew this was all going to happen, didn't you? With you... and with Planet Vegeta._

"K-Ka...Kakarot..."

--

"Ready to give up, Kakarot?" Cabesh taunted.

Goku gasped for air. "O-Over my d-dead body..."

The evil Saiyan chuckled. "You're actually kind of funny, kid... Alright then... Have it your way!" he rushed toward the weakened fighter.

"N-NO!" Goku shouted. He refused to give up, to let this guy win. But his energy was too depleted. _"It's no use! I can't finish him all by myself... It's over!"_

His friends watched in absolute horror, as they trembled and shook violently. Goku shut his eyes tightly, waiting to receive the finishing blow.

"Now!" a voice spoke from behind Kame House; someone had been hiding there. The voice leaped out into view, then charged Cabesh and knocked him flat with a kick.

Cabesh looked up at the person, his face took up a stunned expression.

Bulma's face turned pale and blue. "It...it...it's..."

Krillin couldn't speak, while Gohan held on to Bulma tightly.

Goku opened his eyes. "P-Piccolo!"

Piccolo looked to Goku. "Yes?"

* * *

**Come on, you guys. Did you _really _think I'd kill off Piccolo? This is the longest chapter I've ever written, like, EVER! Was the length good enough? And were some areas too blobbly or redundant? Oh! And of course, the Saiyans! Did they pass as Saiyans? As usual, lemme know what you thought and everything!**


	7. The New Technique

**It's been a while, hasn't it? It's been 11 months since I last updated this, according to the previous upload date. O_o Most of this chapter was written months ago, meaning the writing was mediocre to bad, meaning it was a challenge trying to rewrite this, meaning it's short and not that well-written. ^^;  
But, I hope you like it anyway. :)**

**Disclaimer: Okay, I admit it. It took me so long to update, because I was plotting to get ownership of DBZ... And I failed! ToT**

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**Chapter 6  
The New Technique**

Goku didn't know whether he was relieved, or worried. Or which one he should be. But one thing was for sure: he was shocked. Not because he didn't think Piccolo would show up, but rather, in a way, because he could. His timing played it's part as well.

"Piccolo! What are you doing here?" Goku asked him.

Piccolo turned his attention Cabesh. "I came for him."

"How can that be!?" the evil Saiyan said. "I killed you!"

Krillin and Bulma withdrew further from the front side of the house, trembling in near terror. As if it wasn't bad enough some strange alien was trying to kill everyone, now Piccolo had miraculously risen from the grave.

"I was wondering when you'd get here," Goku said, surprising the spectators.

"You knew he was alive?" Krillin said. "How?"

"Gohan's hat," he replied without ever shifting his focus.

Bulma pulled Gohan away from her and looked, the orange orb attached being the first thing she noticed. "The Dragon Ball?"

Goku nodded. "If Piccolo had died, it would've turned to stone."

"That's right..." Krillin said in an 'I remember now' sort of way.

"It did take long for me to arrive," Piccolo said. "He is very strong, I am surprised you are still alive. Not that he would be entirely sure you would be dead considering how careless he is about making sure if you are."

Cabesh rose and dusted himself off, then smirked. "I was careless," he admitted. "But I'll make up for it now."

"How will you know if you really killed us?" Piccolo asked in a mocking tone.

"I'll be sure this time."

Goku had an idea, hesitating to mention it. "I guess... I guess we'll have to team up, Piccolo. It's our only chance."

Piccolo nodded. "The thought sickens me, but it will only be this once. After he is done, you're next."

He grasped his cape and turban in each hand and tossed them aside. A heavy sound made as they made a trench in the sand.

"Piccolo, you were armored too?" Goku asked in slight surprise.

"As are you, boy," he answered.

Done with talking, they readied for an attack and counted off before charging in.

The sight of Piccolo and Goku fighting along side caused an uneasy feeling to sweep over Krillin as he remembered the horrible things he did all those years ago. "I have a bad feeling about this," he said. "I don't trust Piccolo one bit!"

"It's the only thing we can do," muttered a weakened voice.

Krillin's face face lit up at that moment. "Roshi-sama!"

The Turtle Hermit slowly sat up, struggling the whole way.

"Are you okay!?" Krillin exclaimed.

"Boy, you forget I'm a martial arts master," Roshi said. "No matter how strong he is, it would take more than one hit to kill me." He then looked toward Goku. "If those two can't beat him, we're done for."

Krillin and Bulma hung their heads grimly, praying that they would succeed, and that Piccolo wouldn't double-cross Goku during the fight.

Cabesh slammed his fist into Piccolo's jaw then aimed a roundhouse at Goku, who jumped to avoid then formed a fist with both hands and brought it down on the evil Saiyan's head. After stumbling, Piccolo rushed back and punched the flincher as many times as he could. Cabesh waited for the gap between the times Piccolo hit, quickly cupping his hands in front of him and catching Piccolo's flying fist then tossing him aside.

Goku jumped in and thrust his palm, striking the opponent's defensive arm, starting a bursting match. He couldn't hold up his own for long, his adrenaline dwindling as his sore muscles began to ache. In one quick maneuver Cabesh drove one elbow into Goku's stomach and smashed his forehead with the other. Goku stumbled backwards. His voice quivered as he held his hands close to the broken skin, letting the fresh blood ooze down his face.

Piccolo came up and shoved Cabesh aside violently.

Panting heavily, Goku chuckled. "We may actually be done for..." a weak smile appeared on his weary face.

"Maybe," Piccolo said. "Unless you have a new technique."

"Sorry, I got nothing."

"Well, while you have been taking a break, I have been training for the past five years and developed a new technique to kill you that might do the trick." He went on. "But it will take about five minutes to gather enough energy to use it."

"And you want me to distract him," Goku said.

Piccolo gave him an assuring look.

"Right," Goku said, smiling at the irony; the attack Piccolo invented to destroy him would be used to help him. He wiped the blood from his face and stood, then took off when Piccolo raised his index and middle to his forehead.

Cabesh finished dusting the sand off his shattered, yet intact armor when Goku came after him. He held out his arm to catch Goku's and brawled with him. After the brief match, they pulled away and stood ten feet apart.

"Why don't you just die!?" Cabesh spat.

Goku gasped for air as he struggled to keep standing, hoping Piccolo wouldn't take too long. His muscles were nearly screaming. He didn't know if he could last the next five minutes this way, but he was going to try.

Goku sprinted and tackled his opponent in hopes of bringing him down to buy some time. Cabesh brought his foot back for balance and caught Goku, throwing back. Goku instantly sprung forward the moment he touched the ground and locked fists with Cabesh.

Piccolo watched them brawl from the side while keeping focus on charging. He observed Goku's movement rapidly decline from fluid to mechanical, soon watching him get beat up when he was unable to keep up with Cabesh's movement.

Cabesh ended the session with a knee to Goku's chest, followed by one fist to the stomach then the other to his jaw.

_I can't go on like this... _Goku chuckled in his mind. He started thinking of a new strategy. "If I don't make it," he whispered, looking to Gohan with weary eyes. "take care of your mommy for me."

He wobbled to his feet and took a deep breath.

Cabesh gave Goku an icy stare as he waited with his arms folded, waiting for him to get up. He looked like he was hesitating to give Goku a fair chance by letting him stand, but was really just as worn out and didn't feel like moving.

"What are you waiting for?" Goku asked in a taunting voice.

Cabesh responded with a 'hmph' and went after him.

Goku crossed his arms in an X in front of him—a defensive position, and tightly shut his eyes, jaw clenched to keep from wailing in pain when his sore arms were struck. Cabesh pounded on him repeatedly, taking note of his target's pained expression. This continued for a short time, before Goku tumbled over from the constant impact.

"Why isn't he fighting back!?" Bulma cried. "That guy will kill him!"

"He doesn't have the strength," said Roshi, who was still coming to, trying to get up again.

Krillin jumped to his side, so to speak. "Roshi-sama!" he exclaimed. " Should you be getting up so soon!?"

"Like I said, I was once one of the world's strongest," Roshi said. "It would take more than one hit to finish me."

The truth was, that one hit almost did finish him, much to his dismay. But for everyone's sake, he kept it to himself. Only one thing concerned him now anyway, and that was Goku.

_How much longer, Piccolo!? _Goku couldn't say it aloud even if he wanted to. His breath was short, and his body felt as if it would fall apart at any moment. The metallic blood taste in his mouth wasn't helping either.

Cabesh snarled as he swung tiredly, his frustration increasing with every swing; why wouldn't he die? He stopped.

"I've had enough of this..." he said calmly.

Goku fell on his rear from exhaustion and looked up at him. He knew what his foe was planning to do next: finish him off. The thought gave him a terrible feeling, but he kept calm and thought.

Cabe sh walked up to him casually, then grasped Goku's collar and slammed his fist on the side of his face. Blood rushed to his mouth, then flew out after Cabesh hit him again. Goku's only thoughts were: _Hurry, Piccolo, hurry!_

Finally, the longest five minutes of his life ended as Piccolo, who was still in his line of sight, gave him the signal. Goku gave him a do-it-now type of nod, then attempted to gather any leftover strength and drove his knuckles into Cabesh's stomach.

With a yelp, the evil Saiyan released his grip on the gi and held his stomach. Goku, as fast as he could, threw himself flat on the ground as Piccolo shouted.

"MAKANKOSAPPO!!"(1)

A spiral beam zoomed through the air at lightning speed. Cabesh didn't even know what hit him when it sliced cleanly through him, destroying almost every vital organ he had. His eyes glazed over and he crashed limply onto the fine sand, only living long enough to curse at them.

Goku breathed a sigh of relief and smiled weakly. The battle was finally over, it was time to go home and take a long nap.

Piccolo approached the body and sneered at it, then turned to Goku.

"Now it's your turn."

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(1)- Otherwise known as, Special Beam Cannon. I used the original name 'cause it sounds cooler. :p

**Short chapter, but it'll be longer and more detailed next time. Until then... Bye bee! (Darn you, Lucky Star. =.=)**


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